IBERIA PARISH (JEANERETTE) — As the city of Jeanerette prepares for what they're calling a “drama-free” Mardi Gras parade on Sunday, Feb. 23, the Jeanerette City Council is working to ensure the event is also accident-free.
For the past 30 years, the Jeanerette Mardi Gras Association has hosted a parade to celebrate the city’s Mardi Gras festivities. However, this year’s parade faced uncertainty due to rumors about its cancellation, stemming from concerns over violence at last year’s event.
“We’ve heard that the parade was canceled,” said Pamela Edwards, president of the Mardi Gras Association, who attended Monday night’s meeting to address the confusion.
Tessa Hardy, the association’s secretary, echoed the concern.
In response to public safety concerns, council members requested the meeting to discuss the parade’s logistics.
"The council is lost just as well as the residents on what's going on—that's why we called this meeting," said Alderwoman Mariah Clay on Monday night.
Clay also called out Mayor Carol Bourgeois for "making all types of calls" regarding the city event "without updating anybody or making anybody aware of what's going on at any time."
Clay also addressed interim police chief Terrence Moore during the meeting, claiming that "he told the council he wanted to 'cancel the parade' due to public safety concerns."
Members of Jeanerette's council, police and Mardi Gras Association took their three minutes to talk about making this year's route safer and more accessible—both for the public and first responders.
“We can’t predict all the variables that could arise, but we want to have a route that is accessible and secure for fire and police,” Moore said.
After nearly two hours of discussion, it was confirmed that the parade will proceed on Feb. 23—but a route was not announced until Tuesday, on the Mardi Gras Association's Facebook page:
"The parade lineup will start in front of the police station on Canal St. The parade will make a left onto MLK from Canal, proceed down MLK, turn right onto Pellerin, continue down Pellerin, and turn right onto Main St. The parade will then proceed down Main St and turn right onto Canal, ending back in front of the police station. For a Safer exit from the parade, entrants should continue straight towards Admiral Doyle Dr to exit."
To read the full Facebook post, click here.
Mayor Bourgeois stated that his office, the police department and the Mardi Gras Association would continue to work together on the details.
Updates on the parade route and safety measures will be shared via the city’s and police department’s Facebook pages.
